Drone safety biz Altitude Angel has swept up $4.5m in new funding, it has announced today.

The main new backer is the aerial tech loving Seraphim Space Fund, with Accelerated Digital Ventures and Frequentis also throwing cheques towards the Reading based company.

Altitude Angel has been working on its Guardian air traffic app for drone users since 2015, and today offers it in over 80 territories, in partnership with air traffic services such as the UK’s NATS, to try to make pilots aware of potential risks when they launch their flying machines.

With its new cash, the company intends to expand its operations in Europe and North America, and to add more territories to the platform, thereby introducing more users to the Gospel of Responsible Drone Usage.

Altitude Angel’s founder and CEO, Richard Parker, said: “Drones have the power to revolutionise business and transform lives. Altitude Angel’s technologies are key to unlocking their potential to be flown autonomously, without a human pilot, ensuring they’re safe and fit in with other aviation traffic and stakeholders.”

James Bruegger, managing partner at Seraphim, said: “In Altitude Angel we’ve identified what we believe to be best-of-breed technology capable of meeting the stringent safety-critical standards that regulators will demand. We look forward to working alongside Richard and the wider Altitude Angel team to help the company deliver on its tremendous potential.”

Mike Dimelow, chief investment officer for ADV, said: “Altitude Angel is a solution that allows unmanned flying machines to operate. By getting this right, we’re going to create new industries and business models that we can’t even imagine today. The management team and industry partners supporting the business have the potential to create a generation-defining business. We’re very excited for the future.”

From https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/30/investment_drone_traffic_app_maker/